For Them And For Us: The Strength of Twelve
by Lourdes23
Summary: When trust is betrayed and cherished lives are taken Naruto and his friends find themselves on a path they had hoped never to travel. Rated for language, violence, angst and mature content. Don't miss the sequel: 'A Promise To Keep' NarutoXHinata
1. Shattered Circle

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, though I wish I did!

Chapter One: Shattered Circle 

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

They weren't supposed to be here, they weren't ready for this.

This wasn't right.

It was not supposed to end this way.

IT COULDN'T!!

Had he been alone he'd probably be dead right now. But it wasn't the support of his comrades that kept him alive; it was the need to protect them at any cost. Hand signals flew in rapid succession. He still had a few moves left, though his chakra was draining so quickly he was not sure he could pull off any of the ones that mattered.

"Kanashibari no jutsu!"

But fire rushed at him before the attack was raised, and he was forced to abandon his efforts; the roar of flames nearly deafening in his right ear as he just barely escaped serious injury. _Damn it! There has to be a way._

Chidori was out of the question. With the chakra he'd already burned through and the Sharingan still in use Chidori would finish him faster than his assailant.

Not enough options... but he had to try something! He could not let them die here!

He was the last one standing - if you could call his current position standing. He had hoped, blindly perhaps, that they would come out of it safely. Somehow they always had, be it luck or fate or divine intervention - not that he believed in any of that. That still didn't stop him from wishing for it.

_Prove me wrong. Prove these kids are meant for something more!_

Naruto was the closest; the last one to go down. His determination had finally been forced to bow to his physical limits. Kakashi had hoped that the kyuubi's chakra would have been able to sustained him, yet Naruto had not had time to draw upon it; the blow that had taken him down came too soon. But then, his attacker had known to take him out quickly, once the blonde teen's chakra had been exhausted.

"Hatake Kakashi's chosen ones did not measure up to their reputation, it seems." The young man before him smirked mirthlessly.

"You sound like you were never one of them."

"I wasn't." The aggressor corrected. "_He_ was."

"He still is." Kakashi had hoped some trace of Sasuke would show itself. But Orochimaru had a firm grip. If Sasuke was in there still he was unreachable for the moment.

"No," Sasuke's mouth curved in a sickeningly twisted smile, speaking in a voice that dripped with sickening sweetness and malice instead of the teen's former staccato, "now he is mine. He gave himself to me willingly."

"He's a kid," Kakashi struggled to hold his stance; "kids make mistakes. Sasuke obviously wasn't thinking clearly when he came to you." The denial stuck in his throat. Orochimaru laughed.

"Come now, sensei, let's not lie to each other."

"Don't call me that." Kakashi hissed. "I was never your sensei. I was his. And all though you inhabit his body, _you_ are not _him_."

"Funny how protective you are of him now, when moments ago you tried to kill him."

"Sasuke," a graveled voice called from behind and Kakashi heard the sound of someone scraping to their feet. _Damn that kid! Why doesn't he just stay down! He's going get himself killed!_ "You jerk... why are you doing this to us? I'm gonna kick your ass!" Sasuke focused steely eyes over Kakashi's shoulder.

"You can barely hold your own weight up, dobe." Kakashi's skin pricked. That sounded like a Sasuke comeback if ever he heard one, and though the voice still did not belong to Sasuke it was clearly him.

It would figure, if anyone could break through to the Uchiha, it would be the one person that mattered most to him, though he'd never in his life admit it: Naruto.

"Sasuke, stop this," Kakashi tried again, "whatever you were thinking when you sided with him isn't going to happen."

"What I plan or what I do does not concern you at the moment, Kakashi. You have wasted enough of my time as it is. I suggest you hope that we don't meet again," Sasuke said coolly taking slow, deliberate steps back, "although I'm sure you will see to it that we do."

"Sasuke!" Naruto lurched after his fleeing former teammate, a kunai whistling from his fingertips toward the fleeing boy's back. Sasuke leapt to a tree, spinning round the girth of the branch to avoid another attack as the second blade thumped solidly into the trunk. Spinning round, Sasuke unleashed a barrage of shuriken at his former colleague and then disappeared into the nighttime forest almost instantly.

"Get back here!" Naruto staggered, ignoring the weapons that had impaled various parts of his body, "I'm not done with you! You jerk, I said get back here and fight me! _Fuck!_"

"Naruto, that's enough," Kakashi nearly dropped to his knees. Though inferior to Sasuke's, his Sharingan had probably saved his life, its use now taking a serious toll on him. But he couldn't rest yet. He had to get them to safety. Sakura needed medical attention and Naruto probably even more.

The yellow haired shinobi fell to his knees. "Damn it, Sasuke..." Blood dripped from a multitude of wounds to the scraped dirt below. Some were kunai wounds, some were the shuriken and some were from that bastard snake that Sasuke had taken to vomiting up. One gash on his side was probably big trouble, he had thought absently. Naruto watched the little pools of blood in the dirt expand, detached from what it meant.

"Sasuke let us go." Kakashi turned, taking unsteady steps over to the crumpled form of his pupil-turned-comrade. He knelt, his stomach knotting until he felt her pulse. It was weak, but Sakura still lived. He allowed himself to exhale before speaking again. "I am certain he ran so that Orochimaru could not change his mind."

"You're still sticking up for him?" The teen demanded weakly. "Why? He doesn't deserve it! He's the reason we're in this mess!"

"I won't give up on him, Naruto." Kakashi gathered up the unconscious girl in his arms. Her legs were burned, Sasuke's Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu had caught her when she tried to leap out of the way, but the burns were not as severe as they could have been. The welt on her forehead that had driven her unconscious was what had him worried. She had fallen from the branch she had leapt to, her chakra no longer strong enough to hold her up, and had landed badly. "I won't give up on any of you. Ever."

Silence.

"Naruto?" He looked back and found the young man prone on the ground, still as death, a pool of blood steadily growing beneath his body.

"Naruto!"

XXXX

_That bastard... always has to show off... always playin' it cool..._

"Naruto?"

_I know that voice._

"Naruto, can you hear me?"

_Why is he asking that? Of course I can hear you; you're right next to me._

"Naruto?"

"...yeah?"

A sigh was his only reply and Naruto wondered what all the melodrama was for. Naruto opened his eyes; a vaguely familiar white ceiling was barely visible in the dimly lit room. But it was the smell betrayed his location. Clean, plastic, metal and antiseptic.

_The hospital, huh?_

"I hate this place..." he groaned. A hand was placed atop his head in the same way a father would comfort his young child. But Naruto was older now. He wasn't a kid. He was seventeen, and he wasn't in need of comfort. He'd been hospitalized before, and it didn't frighten him. But Kakashi, and Iruka, were the closest things Naruto had ever known to a father, and he'd be damned if he'd ever refuse their kindness.

"Just rest, Naruto," it was Kakashi. His former teacher's voice was as steady as always, yet there was something off.

"Sakura," Naruto thought aloud, remembering how he had seen her last, "is Sakura okay?"

"She's fine," Kakashi answered, "she's in the next room." Naruto was relieved. She had looked one step from death those last moments he remembered in the forest. The memory sent a shiver through his spine.

"Did you find him?"

"They're out trying to track him now." They. The ANBU, probably. The Hokage would never knowingly send any lesser shinobi after Orochimaru, even if he did now inhabit the body of a teenage boy.

"I hope they don't find him." Naruto growled. "Cause I wanna be the one to find him. And when I do, I'm gonna make him pay."

"Just sleep for now," Kakashi insisted. He couldn't worry about his own injuries at the moment, though the nurses were constantly pestering him. Now he could only think of the teens whose rooms he been moving between for the passed few hours.

This kid in particular, this annoying, obnoxious, stubborn kid was talking a big game to avoid his fears again. ANBU would kill Sasuke outright when they found him and if they got the opportunity. But if Naruto found Sasuke first he would try to save his friend - from the ANBU and from Orochimaru.

_That is, he would have,_ Kakashi though somberly. But the situation was different now. Naruto didn't know it, but Sasuke was beyond even Kakashi's forgiveness now. And once Naruto learned the truth, the young shinobi would undoubtedly be at the foreground of those who were out to take the Uchiha down.

The silver-haired jounin closed his eyes; pained with the realization he had known since he had carried his last two students from the forest:

Sasuke was going to die; and quite possibly at the hands of those who had cared for him the most.

"When can I get outta here?" Naruto never asked that. Normally he would just get up and walk out like Kakashi. Kakashi wondered if the young man knew how badly he had been hurt.

"A week if you take it easy," he said, placing his hand on an uncovered arm, more to comfort himself than Naruto, "maybe two." Naruto's face screwed up and he weakly pounded the back of his head into his pillow.

"Well, at least I don't have to go on any patrols for a while," he finally said scathingly. "Now I can get Kiba off my back. He can take the shitty patrols and wipe that smug look off of his face."

Patrols were no longer handled by genin teams, now that Orochimaru was such a blatant threat. Teams made of jounin and the occasional chuunin now combed the borders of Konoha protecting the village from any dangerous surprises. Naruto hated patrols, but this had been his month on patrol duty and he had not been able to find a way out of it yet, much to Kiba's amusement.

At least Sakura had volunteered to be on his team. He liked having her around, though he long since given up the idea that they would ever become a couple.

Kakashi's single eye had flicked away at Naruto's words, though the rest of him remained still.

"S-sensei?" Naruto stammered the old title; something he only did when he was feeling anxious, Kakashi had learned not long after the boy's graduation.

Naruto had not missed his mentor's reaction to Kiba's name. He vaguely remembered that there had been people in the forest that day in training exercises. But they had been nowhere near Sasuke, right? They had certainly been nowhere near the remnants of Team Seven who had stumbled across the missing-nin while making their rounds. Odd that Sasuke's former team would find him so conveniently and by accident...

"We can talk more, later. For now I want you to rest." Kakashi had not wanted to break this news just yet. He had wanted to wait until his kids were stronger. Though Naruto was now jounin and Sakura chuunin he still considered them his kids; the closest thing to being a parent he would probably ever know.

"No. Tell me," the stubborn shinobi demanded, "what happened out there? Tell me or I'll go find out myself."

"You need your rest-"

"What happened to my friend, sensei?" Damn it. The kid was far more perceptive than he had been as a boy and he wasn't giving up; which shouldn't have surprised him. Kakashi could not tell him to not worry. The silver-haired man had taught his pupils the value of teamwork helping your friends. Naruto embraced these teachings whole-heartedly. He would not rest until he knew they were safe.

"Sasuke ran into a training group while escaping," Kakashi relented. Naruto stared at his mentor blankly, yet the steady blips of the heart monitor behind him accelerated slightly. "Take it easy, Naruto," Kakashi tried to sooth the boy.

"How did he slip passed them?" Naruto remembered that the ANBU were still out hunting for the Uchiha. Kakashi shook his head.

"He didn't slip passed. He met resistance," he said softly and exhaled. There was no easy way to say what had to be said, and Kakashi knew better than to lie to the teen. "Shino is dead, Naruto. Kiba, and Hinata are here in the hospital. They... don't expect Kiba to make it. He lost Akamaru." The monitor sounded frantically. _Old Team Eight._

"Hinata?" Naruto croaked.

"She should recover, though she's got a long road ahead of her." Kakashi replied, trying to give the boy some piece of mind. "Kiba shielded her from most of the blast."

"K-k... katon Ryuuka no Jutsu?" Naruto whispered. "He used katon Ryuuka no Jutsu on them?"

"Yeah."

Sasuke had not used the technique on his former teammates, and for that Kakashi was grateful. Towards the end of the fight that jutsu would have taken them out easily, as would any of Orochimaru's choicer attacks. The fate of the others testified that the wayward ninja had been perfectly capable of taking out his former team, yet some part of Sasuke had been strong enough to spare their lives. Naruto trembled under the covers.

"I," he rasped, "I..."

"Naruto you have to take it easy." Kakashi placed firm hands on the boy's shoulders, but Naruto knocked his friend aside and bolted upright, his eyes flashing red dangerously, fingernails tearing the covers to ribbons in his grasp as the monitor went wild beside Kakashi's head.

_"I'll fucking kill him!"_

"No, Naruto," Kakashi stood and stared into the strange eyes of the young man he knew so well. "Not now. Going after him as you are now would be suicide. Not even Kyuubi would be enough to help you."

Naruto's eyes slowly faded from crimson to blue, tears sliding down his cheeks as he wrestled the demon back under control. He had become adept and controlling it. Extreme emotional traumas that would have once sent him into a killing frenzy now only brought about glowing eyes and labored breathing as he regained control. Kakashi's grip on his arms pushed painfully into recent bruises, but Naruto didn't complain. Pain helped him focus on reality; helped him remember that he was human. His breathing slowed, the hate in his features morphing into something painful to look upon.

"He tried to kill his friends, sensei," the teen mewled, a sound which tore the jounin's heart out, "he attacked us like we never mattered to him. He deserves-"

"He deserves everything you are thinking and more," Kakashi agreed quietly, "but for now you have be sensible. You have to think of your health, and of the friends you still have. None of you will be any use against Sasuke if you all go rushing out before you're ready."

_None of us? Who else was trying to go after Sasuke?_ Naruto must have thought aloud.

"Hinata," Kakashi answered. "When she learned of the fate of her old team and what happened to us she tried to leave the hospital. The nurses threatened to place her in restraints if she didn't calm down."

"I wanna see them," Naruto said, "I _gotta_ see them, sensei." Kakashi could not fault Naruto's sentiment. He had been wandering from room to room against the orders of the nurses, who had tried to insist that he remain in his own room to recover.

"Let me get a wheelchair," the masked shinobi said, "I don't want you pushing yourself any harder than you already are." Naruto obeyed and waited while Kakashi left in search of proper transportation. 

XXXX

They had passed Kurenai in the hallway, her blotchy complexion and swollen eyes stealing the beauty that she normally possessed. She had offered Naruto a squeeze of the hand as he was wheeled into Kiba's room, but said nothing.

Seeing Kiba had been difficult. The man was unconscious and hooked up to so many tubes and wires he was clearly in danger. He was covered almost completely in gauze wrappings, his face nearly hidden under the dressings. It was strange, too, seeing his friend without his furry companion. In all the years they had known one another, Naruto had never known Akamaru to be anywhere but by his master's side, or on Kiba's head when they had been younger. Seeing Kiba without the dog was like seeing him without his arms. Naruto shuddered.

Sakura was asleep. The light blanket that covered her hid the wraps Naruto knew shielded her legs, her head bandaged, mashing down her lovely long pink hair, her heart-shaped face peaceful as she slept. The only tube connected to her was an IV of clear liquid and she was breathed easily, to the teen's relief. Naruto kissed her forehead; guilt filling him that he had not been able to protect her better.

When Kakashi wheeled Naruto into Hinata's room the kunoichi's eyes opened, focused on her visitors and glistened with tears.

"Naruto..." she whispered weakly. From her fingers to her shoulders had been bandaged heavily against the burns she must have sustained. The bulky mass beneath the blankets spoke that there were bandages on her left leg as well. Yet her hair, porcelain-skinned face and torso had been unmarred, courtesy of their valiant friend. Naruto stood and walked carefully to sit on her bedside, earning only a sharp breath from Kakashi, and placed a hand on her hair gently, avoiding her bandaged appendages.

"How are you, Hinata?" It was all he could manage. The Hyuuga girl looked away.

"Shino..." Naruto's fist tightened over hers. "And Kiba..."

"I know," he whispered, not wanting to hear the words again. There was a long pause. This was a new experience. Sasuke's betrayal had not been such a shock. He had still been alive, and there had been hope that he could be rescued. But Shino was gone. Kiba would probably follow, and now Sasuke was as good as dead, as far as Naruto was concerned. It was the first major loss their group had suffered.

"You will be okay?" She asked softly. Naruto would normally have brandished a cocky smile and bragged about how tough he was, but now he could not bring out that smile that she so loved.

"Yeah," he said simply. "You?" Hinata nodded from her pillow. Naruto's jaw clenched and he swallowed hard.

"We'll get him, Hinata," he said firmly, "together. We all deserve the chance to bring him down, but none of us can do it alone."

Kakashi sighed with relief. Though there were still times when Naruto could crawl under his skin faster than a tick, the young jounin was growing up and getting wiser. He was still young and immature, but traces of the man he would become were showing more and more each day. Kakashi no longer had any doubt that Naruto would be hokage someday.

"Neji," she said breathlessly, "Neji said the same thing. He told me what happened to you... in the forest. He said that I had to... wait for you. That he hated to say it, but if anyone was going to kill Sasuke it was going to be you."

"Neji said that?" Neji never did anything but give Naruto shit. Though he had long since ceased to call him a failure - the chuunin exams saw to that - he was constantly berating him in other ways; calling him a clown, an obnoxious pest, and pointing out that Naruto was not half the shinobi that Neji was.

"Just relax now, okay?" He finally said and Hinata nodded. "I'm gonna go for now but I'll come back later, I promise." He leaned down, cupped the side of her face in one hand and kissed her exposed cheek. Normally the contact would have brought a flush to the girl's cheeks that would rival a cherry, but she was hurting physically and emotionally, and the boy's tenderness was a comfort she welcomed openly. With a wrapped hand she reached up and touched the fingers on her face and closed her eyes.

Naruto stood, wobbling on damaged legs, and would have fallen had Hinata's bed not been high enough to brace a hand on. Kakashi brought the chair over quickly and after bidding goodbye to the Hyuuga heir returned Naruto to his room for some much needed rest.

That night, when the light in the hospital rooms had been darkened and the visitors sent home, Kakashi lay in the bed of his assigned room, struggling to find sleep. He had not rested since the battle and was exhausted, but sleep would not come. He kept seeing that morning's battle play over and over in his head.

His chest felt hollow and the memory of Naruto and Sasuke engaged in a 'fierce' eating contest as genin went from cherished to cruel, as did others; Sakura following the Uchiha around when she thought he wasn't looking. The three genin, pausing their scuffling and antics long enough to pose for the picture that now graced Kakashi's nightstand. The time they had banded together in order to get Kakashi's mask off. They way the three could fight as one when they were threatened.

_It's going to be hard from here on out,_ he thought. Now there was no hope of retrieving their lost third. Now the group that had become a family unto themselves over the years would have to adjust to living a fractured existence. Kakashi knew that feeling well, and wished futilely that his kids would have never known it. 

XXXX

"I don't care, I signed the damn papers! I'm outta here!" Naruto threw the doors open roughly, loud calls at his back.

"But you were not given your final examination! Don't you understand? You could still be at risk of relaps!" A little medic followed him out of the hospital anxiously. "The hokage is going to hear about this!"

Naruto continued walking without waving or even acknowledging the annoying girl. He had kept his promise to Kakashi as best as he could, but there was a limit to how long a guy could lie in bed. A week and a day in that stinking place had his nose burning and his legs twitching for some activity. And he knew his body better than anyone, he thought scathingly. There was nothing more that place could do for him. Sakura was already out, as was Kakashi. Hinata would be a while still and Kiba.... Naruto's stomach clenched.

They had said in the beginning it was only a matter of time, and yesterday morning Kiba's time had run out.

_Sasuke,_ Naruto thought hotly, Sasuke had murdered Kiba and Shino and Akamaru. He was no longer the friend Naruto had considered him to be. He had been able to spare three friends, so why not the others too? It didn't matter, though. Sasuke had made his choice; he had picked his side. All that was left now was to take him out, permanently. And now it would not be difficult. If Sasuke was this close to the village than there was only a few places he could be. Though Orochimaru was in the traitor's head Naruto knew that Sasuke was still in there, too. And if that was the case, there was no one alive who knew the former star pupil better than him. It would only be a matter of catching up with him quickly.

And killing him.

The last battle had been hard; defeat his friend without killing him, without dying and without losing your teammates. Shit, with Sasuke as powerful as he had been it had been impossible, but Naruto had tried anyway. He had avoided aiming for vital areas and using jutsu that could prove fatal is Sasuke had not been ready. He had tried to protect Sasuke while brining him down, tried to reason with him at first. Not any more, though. The next battle would be different. This time he wouldn't hold back. This time he'd burn through it all and then bring out the Kyuubi. And when the demon screamed for Sasuke's blood Naruto would oblige. Somewhere deep within him the beast rumbled approvingly.

"Naruto!" He groaned, pushing forward. "Naruto!" His pursuer finally caught up with him.

"Hey Lee," he tried to be polite, but he was in no mood for pleasantries. Lee matched step beside him.

"You look well, Naruto," he said amicably, "much better that you did a few days ago. They released you already?"

"Reluctantly," Naruto replied and Lee nodded, getting the picture.

"Yes, that is usually the case." He understood all too well the desire to be free of the hospital. "Do you return to your duties now?"

"I got personal business to deal with first," the jounin growled. Lee stepped in front of Naruto abruptly, his arms spread wide.

"You will pursue Sasuke?" He asked, concerned, his body forming a wall between Naruto and his destination.

The tai jutsu master was by no means small anymore. Years of rebuilding his body after the chuunin exams had added muscle mass and years had given him height, though Naruto still stood a few inches taller and maintained a larger, more defined physique. And where Naruto's appearance had altered greatly; his hair now long spikes that hung around his face - held back from his eyes with his hitae-ate, his face more angular and his eyes no longer great blue saucers but narrow and clever; Lee had virtually remained the same. The hair, the eyebrows, that hideous green outfit Gai favored and the round face full of honesty had all remained untouched by time.

"That was the plan." Naruto replied.

"Will you be able to find him?" Lee asked. "Do you know where you are going?"

"I've got my suspicions." His tone dared Lee to argue with him, but his old friend only nodded; his expression resolute.

"We must inform the others, then," he said and walked off, obviously expecting Naruto to follow.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute," Naruto said, trotting up behind. "What others?"

"Neji, to begin with," Lee said as though Naruto should know this, "and Sakura. Ino wishes to accompany us as well-"

"Us?"

"-and Kakashi-"

"What the hell are you talking about, Bushy-brows?" The ebony-haired shinobi stopped and faced his companion.

"We are going up against Sasuke, are we not?" He asked, frowning, "against Orochimaru?"

"What the hell?" Naruto frowned, wondering what had been going on while he was in the hospital.

"You were not planning to go alone, were you?" The normally polite jounin narrowed his glare under heavy brows. "Not after what you said to Hinata. Do not tell me that you are so selfish, Naruto."

Naruto scowled darkly at his friend and set off the home of the Hyuuga clan, guessing that had been Lee's path, knowing his friend would catch up. Footsteps fell in beside him, as he had guessed they would.

"How many of us are going?"

"We will need a formidable force," Lee revealed, "Orochimaru has proven he can easily overwhelm a group of four highly trained shinobi. In addition to those I mentioned before as well as you and I, there are Gai-sensei, Jiraiya, Iruka, Shikamaru and Tenten. I am not certain if Neji has enlisted the aid of any others since our last conversation. That brings our numbers to eleven. We still run the risk of annihilation, but eleven is still much safer than four."

"Does Tsunade know of this?" Naruto asked. "Does she know that we are creating our own task force and going after Sasuke?" If the hokage discovered their plan and became angry there was a serious risk that it would not happen at all. Eleven shinobi sneaking from the village would not go unnoticed. Lee glanced at Naruto from the side of his eye.

"She asks that we are careful and come home whole." He said.

_Well, well, Lady Hokage, aren't we a bundle of surprises?_

The Hyuuga compound rose up before them, Naruto and Lee passing through the gates uninterrupted by the guards. Neji's rooms were towards the back of the property and the two men entered without announcing themselves.

Neji stood off to the side, speaking quietly with Tenten; hushed tones and strained features currently masking the fact that the two had been involved for some time. Anko leaned against the opposite wall, rolling a shuriken over her fingers like a coin. Her interest peaked upon seeing the two newcomers and she called for Neji's attention. Sharp white eyes caught Lee's face before darting over to Naruto.

"It's time?" He asked. Naruto glanced at the others in the room.

"If you're ready," he said. Neji nodded to Anko who pushed herself from the wall.

"I'll go round up the others." She said and left quickly, giving Naruto a long look as she walked passed. Lee approached Neji.

"Anko as well? He asked. Neji nodded.

"She wants to be there when Orochimaru falls," he looked pointedly at Naruto, "she wants to strike the killing blow, but she understands that the mission comes before her personal feelings." Naruto hooked a wrist behind his neck.

"This is a full-fledged mission now?" Naruto asked. Neji produced a paper packet from the long bench against the wall and flicked the pages into Naruto's hand.

"Authorized and assigned." Neji replied. Naruto stared down at the sheets, familiar with a team mission order from back when he was on Team Seven. Yet this one was slightly different from what he remembered. The time frame was left blank; a note written off to the side announcing that the starting date was at the lead shinobi's discretion. And in the column where the leader's name was always listed was printed very clearly, 'Uzumaki Naruto'. He'd never seen that before; his name in the leader's column. Extra pages had been attached to list the remaining team members, most of the names had been written in by the actual teammate, seemingly at different times, judging by the multitude of ink colors and handwriting styles.

_The rookie nine,_ Naruto realized. With the exception of the deceased and Chouji, who was away on a mission and probably had not received the news just yet, all of his former genin classmates had signed up for the mission. The rookie nine, as they had come to refer to themselves, though now most were jounin and the others only one step away.

They had all become close through the years, deep bonds of friendship tying them together though personalities often clashed within the group. In their shinobi world there were two types of people; those who cut themselves off from society, and those who saw friendship as a way to remind themselves that the world was not entirely a twisted, violent place.

Only one of the nine had followed the solitary path.

"This is strictly a volunteer mission," Neji explained, "everyone on that list is here because they want to be. Tsunade approved it only because she knew we'd go anyway. She only gave us approval once we recruited ten shinobi. Any less and she would have seen us all reduced to bodyguard duty here just to keep us locked in Konoha. She's still concerned, but she's keeping quiet, at least. Nine jounin and three chuunin. If we do this right we could stand a chance."

The Hyuuga man locked deadly serious eyes with the mission leader. "This isn't some bullshit attempt, Naruto. This is it; the real thing. If we're doing this we're doing it right, and you better be damned sure we're ready, because this is the only chance we're going to get. If we fail we're dead."

"You think I don't know what I'm doing, Neji?" Naruto bared his teeth. "You thinkin' that I have no clue what could happen if we go into this wrong? I was there, Hyuuga, remember that. I saw up close what he can do. I got the scars to remind me." Naruto yank roughly at the collar of his shirt, revealing the vivid red mark where Sasuke's snake had latched onto his throat. Neji didn't balk, but he softened slightly.

"I know. I just want to make sure that you know what is riding on your shoulders here, leader." Naruto made a sound through his teeth, annoyed, and returned his focus to the first page of names in his hands.

"Hinata's on this list," Naruto said after a moment, "what the hell is she thinking? She's not even out of the ICU yet."

"She signed it in case she got out before the mission started," Hyuuga replied, "she wanted to be there. So did Kiba."

Naruto's mouth fell open and he quickly flipped through the pages. On the last page, in large, unsteady print was 'Inuzuka Kiba'. Naruto felt his stomach lurch. On his deathbed, with no laudable fighting skills now that Akamaru was dead, Kiba had signed on for the mission. He had wanted to fight after all. He hadn't given up. Naruto's scowl threatened death. Neji was not the least phased by Naruto's wrath and walked to his desk, opening a drawer.

"I agree," he said darkly, pulling a package wrapped in white cloth from the drawer. "But hold that fury. We'll need it; every last shred of it." Neji took the orders from the blonde and replaced them with the white package. "And remember," he added, "when you release that anger, why you're doing it."

Naruto pulled back the cloth. Three hitai-ate lay within, dried blood staining blue fabric. Characters had been engraved crudely underneath the leaf symbols on two.

Aburame Shino

Inuzuka Kiba

_Which means the third belongs to Hinata._ Naruto silently tied each band over his bicep, the metal facing out for all to see. Lee and Tenten, who had been silent through the exchange nodded their approval. When Naruto had finished red eyes raised and met white.

"For them... and for us." 

XXXX

**A/N  
My first fanfic ever! I know this chapter is slow moving and can be a bit dull at times, but I had to set the scene. Without all of this set-up things move a lot quicker from Chapter 2 on and get a lot more intense (After chapter 3 you might need a tranquilizer! I know I did...j/k!)**

Please, I'm just starting out and want to do well, so all comments, criticisms and suggestions are welcome and encouraged. And I take requests, too. So write a review and let me know what you think!

Thanks!


	2. Pensive Hearts

Disclaimer: Again I don't own Naruto, but I still wanna!

Chapter 2: Pensive Hearts

"There is no way - in hell - that you are ready to go after him, Naruto!" Ino punctuated the statement pointedly. "You just got out of the hospital. Sakura's still got bandages on her legs! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"This is a volunteer mission, Ino," Naruto gritted, "so if you wanna back out, that's fine. Go ahead." Ino's jaw dropped and she gazed about the room at her teammates.

Neji's office was spacious, but twelve people made the room seem small, the air oppressive. Or maybe it was the thought of going up against Orochimaru.

But Ino had never been one to back down.

"Fuck you, Naruto," she hissed. "You want us to watch you die? Fine."

"Ino!" Sakura was exasperated. Why did the blonde woman always have to get so abrasive when she was upset? "Stop it already! He's fine. _I'm_ fine. Have a little faith, okay?" Ino rolled her eyes dramatically; as disgusted with Sakura as she was with Naruto. But this time she clamped her mouth shut.

"We'll break into four groups of three," Naruto continued as though Ino had never interrupted, "and spread out. Traveling together is begging him to drop a Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu in our laps. He seemed to have a problem killing Sakura, Kakashi and me before, so the three of us will each go with a different group and hope that gives him a reason to hesitate."

"What about the fourth group?" Shikamaru asked.

"You'll go with that group, Shika," Naruto responded, "you can think faster than any of us."

_Figures,_ the laid-back shinobi thought wryly.

"Anko and Tenten are passing out the transmitters," Neji explained as the women made their way through the crowd, "the frequencies are already set, just keep the volume low. You get into trouble, you scream like bloody hell for help."

"Yeah, we got that part." Jiraiya nearly chuckled and glanced at Gai with a tight smile, "since when did the young get so intense."

"Since our friends were slaughtered by someone we trusted, Ero-Sennin." Naruto replied coldly. Jiraiya's mirth dissipated and he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I'm saying this now," Naruto scanned the room, "anyone who wants to back out: this is your chance. Nobody's gonna stop you and nobody's gonna hate you for it. This is gonna be hard and there's no guarantee of living through it. After this point there's no turning back and if you bail then you may as well stay gone - permanently."

The room was silent, heads turning to see who, if anyone, would accept the offer.

"I think," Kakashi spoke, his eyes closed, arms folded over his chest, "you've got your full team Naruto." Inwardly he could not help but marvel at Naruto's growth; though it was a tragedy what it had taken to get him to this point. The teen was clearly on target with his thinking and, for the first time in Kakashi's memory, completely in control of the situation.

"Gear up, people," the blonde shinobi ordered his team, "and wrap up any business you may have left over. We leave at six AM sharp."

_There's something I've gotta do before we go,_ he thought as he dismissed the team. 

XXXX 

"Don't be mad, Hinata," he said plaintively, though the Hyuuga woman had given him no indication that she was.

"I'm not," her small voice was sincere, "I just wish I wasn't so... weak. I wanted to be there." Naruto carefully took up her wrapped hands.

"You're not weak - not by a long shot. And you will be there," he said softly and turned slightly so that she could see the three hitai-ate around his arm. Her eyes shone as she gazed at the bands. The names of her old teammates stood out sharply on the polished metal, and though the third band bore no unusual markings she knew it was hers.

"I'll give it back when this is over," he said, coming dangerously close to reading her thoughts. It wasn't that she would miss the band, though. A tear slid down her cheek as she remembered what the Uchiha was now capable of.

"I... don't want anything bad to happen to you..." It was the closest she had ever come to admitting her feelings. Through the years Naruto had been a steadfast part of her heart, but she had cherished his friendship too much to ask for more.

He tried to summon up that grin, but the best he could do was a sad smile. "Don't worry," he said, knowing how dumb that sounded.

_Of course she'll worry, she's seen what can happen._ Hinata's chin puckered, but she nodded sharply. He wanted to beat the shit out of Sasuke for putting her through this; for putting them all through this. Her expression tormented him and he pulled her against his chest, earning a slight gasp from her. He retracted his arms quickly.

"I'm sorry," he punched out, "I didn't mean to hurt you." Hinata's face crumpled a bit and she looked down at her lap.

"That's okay." She said softly. "I mean, that is, you didn't hurt me." Naruto saw another tear plop down into her lap.

"Hinata," why did his chest feel so tight? _Why is it so hard to breathe?_ He took her up again, carefully this time, and held her there. Her hands tightened on his arm and he felt her face grow hot against his chest. It was getting late and he knew he should go prepare for tomorrow, but he couldn't bring himself to leave her just yet. When her body began to shake silently he felt his own eyes begin to sting.

_She's crying._

"It's okay," he whispered into her hair, "it's okay Hinata."

"I don't want you to go," she admitted. "I don't want you to die."

_I shouldn't say it._ "I won't die." _You can't promise that, dobe!_

"You," Hinata's words broke painfully with sobs, "can't know that." Naruto buried his face in her hair wishing he could comfort her.

"Don't cry, Hinata," he pleaded, "please don't cry." The stinging in his eyes worsened.

_Don't you get weak on her! She doesn't need to see that shit from you!_

"I don't want to lose you!" Her breath caught in her throat when she realized what she had just said. Naruto didn't seem to notice her alarm and shook his head, his face tangling in long silky strands. He pulled her chin up with a knuckle and kissed her cheek.

"You won't." He whispered.

_Her face,_ he stared into her eyes, milky white like Neji's yet very different. Kind, sincere, and...

He couldn't help himself. He dipped his head and kissed her, on the lips, slowly. Hinata's eyes widened for a split second before closing and she leaned into him. He cupped the back of her head, pulling her lips into his gently, feeling her respond to his touch. When at last he pulled back and opened his eyes he found the creases of despair gone from her features.

Hinata looked up into his eyes.

"I..."

_I may never get another chance._

"I..."

"Hinata?"

_Say it, Hinata!_ Her mind screamed.

"I love you, Naruto." 

XXXX 

"Do you think this is wise?" Iruka sloshed the contents of his glass around pensively.

"I don't think we have much of a choice." Kakashi said. "He has to be stopped."

"I meant drinking tonight." The other man corrected.

The eldest four members of the team sat at the bar of the closest joint to the Hyuuga compound. Neji had invited everyone to stay over for the night, boasting plenty of space, but the senior shinobi had opted to excuse themselves for a while, choosing to spend some quality time getting shit-faced.

"Did you have better plans for tonight?" Jiraiya asked, tossing back another mouthful of sake and pounding the cup onto the bar loudly, signaling he needed a refill.

"No," Iruka sighed and followed the elder's example, "just thinking out loud."

"I thought we came here to give up thinking." Jiraiya smiled.

"You seem so at ease," Gai commented an empty pyramid of glasses before him belayed the fact that the man could hold his liquor, "aren't you worried in the least?"

"About dying?" The legendary-nin asked. "No. About failing? Yeah, I am. But if this is going to be my last free night I'm going to enjoy it."

"So why aren't you at the baths with your eye pressed against the screens?" Kakashi quipped. Jiraiya shrugged.

"Too far," he said flatly.

"I can't believe him," Iruka's chin was now laying on his hand upon the bar as he contemplated the contents of another glass, "he's so strong now; and not just physically."

"Naruto is not the boy we knew." Kakashi didn't bother asking who Iruka referred to and set aside his fourth empty glass. "He's growing up."

"He's a fine young man now," Gai said heartily. "You should be very proud of him."

"Yeah," Iruka said quietly, "I am." Jiraiya leaned forward, staring into his cup thoughtfully. It was quiet among the four for a moment and Jiraiya finally sighed.

"I miss the old Naruto, too."

---

"You called?" Shizune stuck her head into the office and found Tsunade staring blankly out her window. The pinks and oranges of the dawn sky were clearly visible through the pane and Shizune found the view quite pretty.

"What time is it?" The hokage asked softly. Shizune eyed her master worriedly for a moment. There was a clock of the far wall; all Tsunade had to do was turn her head for her answer.

"It is a quarter passed six," the dark-haired woman answered. She was about to ask the hokage if she was ill when the realization of why Tsunade acted so strange hit her. "I am certain they have left already." Tsunade said nothing. "Do you regret letting them go?" There was another pause.

"I regretted it the moment I signed the order." 

XXXX

"Green Team." Naruto said softly into his mic.

"In position." Shikamaru's voice came back through the earpiece.

"Blue Team."

"In position." Kakashi reported.

"Red Team."

"In position, leader." Jiraiya sounded.

"All teams ready and waiting." Naruto confirmed.

Naruto glanced back at the two traveling with him; Iruka and Neji. Neji's fingers pressed to his earpiece as he listened to the exchange. Iruka nodded encouragingly.

"Maintain spacing. Don't let your guard down. You know the drill."

"Can we get on with it?" Ino's voice chirped into his ear. Naruto smirked, her voice sounded less perturbed and more teasing. Sakura must have had a good talk with her last night, he gathered. He reached up and touched the bottom hitai-ate on his arm, Hinata's sweet face coming to mind.

_I WILL come back._ He remembered saying to her. _I'll come back to you, Hinata. Wait for me?_

She had nodded, a watery smile fighting to stay in place. He had kissed her again, a promise, he had told her, of a future together.

The sobs he had heard at his back once he entered the hallway, though, had broken his heart.

_I'll come back, Hinata._ he vowed silently. _I promise._

"All teams, move out."

**A/N**

Second Chapter done! A lot shorter than the first, I know, but I want to keep things flowing along. Now, who's up for a little violence? (Okay, a lot!) Ya gotta keep reading!

As before, I want to get better, so please leave me reviews with your opinions, suggestions, plot requests or complaints! Thanks!


	3. Danger In The Shadows

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I'd love to get my hands on Kakashi!

Chapter Three: Danger in the Shadows 

Leaves hissed passed her ears. Her feet barely made contact with the branches before she was airborne again; she was free. Alive. It didn't matter why she was here at the moment. She simply relished the feeling of being out and mobile.

"How are you, Sakura?" Lee called as softly as was possible for the tai jutsu master, clearly making certain he never strayed too far from her side as they skirted through the treetops. She repressed a sigh at the question.

"Lee, if you keep asking me that I'm going to have to kill you." She replied softly, trying to sound light. That question had been sweet the first five times, but throughout the day Lee's constant worry had begun driving her crazy. She flashed him a smile to take the sting from her words and his eyes lit up.

"Hey, Lee," Ino's voice was small yet clearly beguiling in the transmitters worn by all, "how 'bout you come carry me? I wouldn't mind." Lee's cheeks stained crimson and Sakura giggled.

"Focus people," Jiraiya warned, "we've got a job to do."

There was a snort in his earpiece.

"Since when do you take anything seriously, Ero-Sennin?" Naruto quipped and the older man smiled slightly, not minding the mild insult for once.

"Come now, Naruto, you know perfectly well I've always taken my research very seriously." A grunted chuckle sounded from the blonde; than silence.

_Better than nothing,_ he thought. Naruto's sullen attitude had begun to worry the old sennin and he fretted that the cheerful, spunky boy that had once been Naruto would be gone forever after this. But a laugh was a start and Jiraiya would simply take it from there.

Silence returned for a while as the group maintained their pace, but it didn't last more than an hour.

"Ino," Shikamaru's voice hissed a little excitedly, which instantly got everyone's attention, "did you see that?"

"See what?"

"Shika?" Naruto leapt lightly to the next branch, trying to avoid breaking formation until a sighting was confirmed. He couldn't alienate Kakashi's group to his right without knowing someone else was in danger.

"Ten o'clock," Shikamaru was obviously speaking to Ino and Anko who comprised the rest of his team. Silence. Naruto's pulse quickened.

"Got it!" Anko confirmed. "That is definitely not a squirrel!"

"Shit!" Ino squealed, followed by a rumble and static. Naruto veered to his left, no longer concerned with keeping formation. His team followed.

"What!" He demanded urgently.

"We've got incoming," Anko's voice rose excitedly.

"Pull it in on Green Team," Naruto ordered the others, "Ino!" The girl had seemingly taken a hit. But a string of profanity echoed in his ear and his anxiety lessened - slightly.

"Bastard almost burned my hair." She growled.

_Sasuke..._ Naruto's insides tightened and he increased his pace to a nearly reckless speed, urging Kakashi's group on as well.

"We're on 'em!" Sakura called out after a moment and grunted a sound Naruto recognized as Sakura on the offense.

"Watch it!" He called, "we're almost on you..."

"Damn, it's him!" Shikamaru sounded annoyed, but then again Shikamaru _always_ sounded annoyed. "Yeah, go Jiraiya. Anko; on the ground." Shikamaru may have had two far more experienced shinobi with him at the moment but that did not stop him from taking command. "Sakura, good. There. Wait for me. Lee, you remember?"

An explosion of orange light came into view and Naruto recognized the Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu even though it was still mostly obscured by the leaves.

_It IS him._ Naruto pointed to his left and forward and the two men with him split formation while Naruto took the right; the direction he guessed to be closest to Sasuke.

A flash of green and Naruto realized Lee was already there; behind Sasuke. Of course, so did Sasuke; his eyes red as the Sharingan glided over Naruto before settling on Lee. Sasuke moved.

'The fastest thing I've never seen,' Kiba had once laughingly called Lee, and with good reason. Lee's movements defied the human eye.

Unless that eye was a Sharingan.

Sasuke flipped into the air, the sole of his sandal brushing Lee's chin; the tai jutsu master spun around avoiding the brunt of the blow and Sasuke alighting onto a branch above and behind him.

Lee's leg weights crashed to the ground below and the tree they stood on began to creak and groan; the weights severing its roots deep underground, and Lee was already moving again.

Sasuke opened his mouth.

"Lee! Back off!" Naruto bellowed and hurtled a kunai at his former teammate. But Sasuke whirled, his own kunai deflecting Naruto's, and partially expelled the snake from his mouth.

"What!" Lee's eyes bulged and he leapt backward, the snake's fanged jaws crashing to the spot Lee had just vacated.

"You may be fast, Sasuke," Lee skidded to a halt along another branch, bark shredding in his wake, "but you will never be faster than me!" A burst of green and jet black slashed across Naruto's vision and Lee was behind the traitor, a solid downward kick driving the man to the ground below.

Anko was on him before Naruto could blink.

"Miss me, you bastard?" She hissed and leapt at him, arms extended. "I've been saving this just for you! Souja So-"

"Not today," Sasuke's strange voice jeered and the snake pounced again, clutching Anko by the throat and knocking her onto her back. The woman choked, her hands flying up, trying to pry the jaws from her windpipe.

"Sasuke!" Naruto dropped to the earth beside his opponent, weapons drawn and a threat on his tongue.

"Predictable." Sasuke sneered around the serpent. A flurry of shuriken hurtled at the snake, but Sasuke retracted it before any damage was done, leaving Anko wheezing on the ground.

Sasuke grunted as Neji, previously unnoticed, struck from behind, landing blow after blow, on the stunned Uchiha. When the Hyuuga's assault paused Lee came crashing down from above, his heel driving Sasuke's face several inches into the dirt. Naruto was sliding into the dirt, an extended leg launching his foe into the air and against a tree. Uchiha pushed himself up without hesitation, his arms turning him feet-over-head and pushing him into up until he was no longer surrounded.

"Kanashibari no jutsu!" Neji, Naruto and Anko froze instantly, Lee having switched position the moment Sasuke had risen from the ground.

"Katon Ry-"

"_Kai!_" Sakura shrieked as she plummeted from the treetops, fingers grazing the two petrified men. Naruto and Neji blinked, scattering immediately. Ino dropped lightly beside Anko, echoing the release and pulling the stunned woman out of the way before Sasuke could restart his attack. Naruto was now the one to bare his teeth maliciously.

"Predictable." He mocked. "Rasengan!"

Sasuke sprawled backwards, his body severing a tree trunk with its momentum.

"He's not doing that well," Ino stated; shuriken gripped between fingers.

_No,_ Naruto scowled, _he's not._ Yet Naruto wasn't relieved.

"Chidori!" The cry came from above and Anko had only enough time to throw herself against Ino before a streak of white-blue energy bolted down on her position. Kakashi followed, swinging his arm up; severing the head of his enemy in half.

Sasuke's body fell to the ground with a sickening wet thump at the blonde leader's feet. Naruto's hair stood on edge.

"Too easy..." he whispered. Sakura backed up a step. They remembered this trick...

A popping sound accompanied a small white cloud and a stump of wood lay where Sasuke had fallen, a sizzling scrap of paper pinned to it with a kunai.

"_Trap!_" Naruto shrieked loudly and bolted, catching Neji's fleeing form out of the corner of his eye.

There was a concussion of air and searing heat and then Naruto knew no more. 

XXXX

Hinata stood gingerly, white knuckles grasping the footboard to steady herself.

She had spent enough time feeling helpless, she decided. Naruto had lost friends as well; he had come under attack from the same person. But he was not lying in his bed wishing he could do more. He was out there, hunting Sasuke down. He was doing it not only for himself, but for his friends, and for her.

_I won't let him love a woman who isn't worthy._ She decided with renewed determination.

Hinata released her grip from the bed, fingers spread wide within their gauze as she fought to hold balance.

"What are you doing?" Hinata did not look up, but continued to stare at her hands, willing them not to grab onto the bed again. "You're at it _again?!_"

"I have to get better," she grunted, "I have to get out of here. I need to be out there with them."

"The hell you do!" Kurenai's hands wrapped around the girl's waist and tried to gently push her back to the bed, but Hinata pushed her off. "Straining your body is not going to heal you any faster!" The red-eyed woman argued.

"Sakura still has burns and she is fighting." Hinata pointed out.

"Sakura is crazy. Always has been." Kurenai argued and was shocked to receive a scathing glare from the Hyuuga woman. "What has gotten into you?"

"I need to be out there, Kurenai. They were my teammates."

"I know." Kurenai relented and stepped back from her former pupil. "I miss them too, dearly. But running headlong into the woods after the same man who killed Sandaime is suicide, especially now that he has the Sharingan." Hinata's eyebrows gathered.

"What is wrong with you?" She whispered and the elder balked. "I thought you were shinobi."

"Hinata-" The girl was unusually bitter.

"Kakashi is out there trying to save us; so are Gai and Jiraiya and Naruto!" Hinata's hand flew up to gesture out of her window. Kurenai sighed.

"So that's what this is about." She said and seated herself at the foot of the bed. "You're worried for Naruto."

"I need to be out there."

"So Naruto can worry about your health?" Kurenai asked. "So he can be so preoccupied with your safety that he may not see a surprise attack until it is too late?" Hinata bit her lip. "I know you care for him," Kurenai continued, "but you have-"

"I told him." Hinata confessed in a whisper and Kurenai's words died off in her mouth. For a moment she could only look at the Hyuuga.

"You told him?" She couldn't believe it. It had been popular opinion that Hinata would have committed suicide before confessing her feelings to the man she loved. Hinata nodded.

"And?" Hinata blushed.

"He kissed me again."

"_Again?_" Kurenai's jaw dropped. "You mean he's kissed you before?

"Just before he left," Hinata confessed. "He kissed me, I told him how I feel and then he kissed me again." Kurenai smiled.

"I'm happy for you, Hinata."

But the girl gazed off at nothing, apparently not sharing in her mentor's joy. A sad, empty expression crept over her and she stared out of her window.

"He has to come back." She whispered finally. Kurenai said nothing.

_Oh, Hinata..._

XXXX

Naruto groaned and pushed himself up slowly, his ears tuned to the sounds around him; waiting. Nothing. The back of his neck stung and his forehead throbbed. But other than that he was fine.

"Report," he croaked into his mic. There was a pause and then a grunt.

"Lee," the tai jutsu's voice crackled into his ear.

"Iruka," his former sensei followed.

"Neji," the Hyuuga sounded thoroughly pissed.

One by one the team checked in, finally gathering in on Naruto's position, checking one another for serious injury. Naruto turned to the people he had reserved to cut off escape routes.

"Did he get by?"

"I didn't see a thing," Iruka shook his head. The others echoed Iruka's report and Naruto growled.

"He was gone when we got here."

"But he's close," Kakashi said, the brow of his visible eye raised, "we're almost on him. He wouldn't have bothered with a substitution if he could easily get away. He needed to buy himself some time."

"Why's he running, anyway?" Shikamaru groaned. "Why doesn't he just fight us and get it over with. He knows he could probably take us."

"Shikamaru!" Lee's tone was scolding and the lazy-nin simply rolled his eyes.

"I'm a little curious," Tenten chirped, "if a substitution took that much work to take out - not that I thought it was hard - what is the real deal gonna be like?"

"He's gonna be like ground pork when I get done with him." Naruto yanked one of his kunai from a nearby tree trunk with a violent tug.

"Back into formation but tighten it up this time. If he's close I want only seconds between each team. Sakura, Tenten, Gai and Iruka, you guys take the cut-off positions this time and wait for the call. The rest I want on him." The group began to break away.

"But... why _is_ he running?" Sakura hesitated, calling everyone's attention back. "I hate to say it, but Shika's right. Sasuke's no fool. He knows the odds, and he knows what each of us has got under our belts. What is this cat-and-mouse game about anyway?"

"Didn't he hesitate because of you three," Tenten asked, "his old team? Maybe he knew you guys are with us and he didn't want to fight you?"

"I think," Kakashi knew he was going to get hell for this yet the words poured out anyway, "Sasuke is trying to save us from Orochimaru. I think he's trying to help." Naruto whirled, eyes flashing red for a moment before regaining control quickly.

"What, like he helped Shino and Kiba?" Naruto seethed, his voice rising in fury. "Like he helped Hinata? Is that it? Is that what he's doing? Well he can take his help straight to hell when we send him there!"

"Naruto is right," Neji broke in and rose quite a few eyebrows with those three words, yet he paid it no mind. "Sasuke has lost his chance to be the good guy. He's got too much blood on his hands. It's over; he's done." Kakashi nodded.

"I agree."

"Well?" Naruto turned, meeting his teammates in the eyes. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!" 

XXXX

**A/N**

My first action scene! Short, I know, and I don't know if it came out as exciting as I had hoped, but it _**is**_** my first. Besides we can't blow all the fun on a substitution, can we? ;) Reviews, comments, suggestions, ratings and rantings are encouraged and practically begged for! Don't make me get on my knees! Thanks again!**


	4. A Renewed Resolve

Disclaimer: Okay, do I really have to keep saying it? I don't own Naruto; only the idea for this story.

Chapter 4: A Renewed Resolve

He sat crouched in the darkness, fists pressed to his temples haplessly. His hands shook with tumultuous emotions he could not explain and sweat beaded off his skin despite the cool night air. Gutteral grunts and groans tore from his throat as he struggled for control. Yet he could feel it slipping away...

He had tried again, but like before his efforts had been thwarted; a melted hunk of metal that had once been a kunai sizzled before his toes.  
_Why,_ his mind sobbed, _why can't I just die?_

_'We still have work to do, my boy,'_ the voice within him chimed in a sing-song way that made Sasuke want to tear it from his skull.

"You promised," his voice came out broken and halting; his body trembled so hard, "you promised Itachi first. You lied to me."

_'That was before your friends became a problem.'_ Orochimaru's voice dipped dangerously. _'Now we have to alter our plans accordingly. Don't worry, you'll still get your revenge.'_

Sasuke shook his head wildly. "No, I won't kill them. I _won't!_" Harsh laughter echoed in his thoughts.

_'But you already did; three of them, in fact.'_ Sasuke groaned low, fresh tears coursing down his cheeks.

Shino, Kiba and Hinata. The last time he had seen them they were lying in the rubble that had once been the southwest training grounds, Sasuke's Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu having just wiped them out. Orochimaru had turned him from the scene mercifully quick, but not before Sasuke had seen the bodies; lying there on the ground, Kiba atop Hinata... Shino lying only a few feet away.

All broken.

Dead.

"Stop it."

_'It felt good, didn't it, Sasuke? It felt right to take their lives, like it was what you were born to do.'_

"Stop it!"

_'You swore an oath of service to me, Sasuke Uchiha. You will have your brother's life, as I promised. Yet until that time you will honor your oath of service by killing those who would hinder our plans!' _

A sob tore from Sasuke's throat, tears flowed freely, and he prayed that his friends would be able to kill him when the time came. 

XXXX

"It itches!" Naruto squirmed as Jiraiya applied more salve to the healing wound on the blonde's side.

"Stop being such a baby," the sennin scolded and smeared on a generous dose of the pungent cream. Anko reached over and dipped her fingers into the jar, spreading the medication onto her throat, a slight grimace her only complaint about the effects.

Sakura and Ino sat across the fire, rewrapping the pink haired kunoichi's legs. Naruto had not been able to help but stare. Legs he had once found almost irresistible were now spider-webbed with raised pink and white scars, most still covered in scabs. Yet Sakura's stoic face betrayed no hint of remorse for lost beauty. Capable hands dressed the burns with speed and precision, while Ino moved at a much slower pace on the other leg.

"I cannot believe we fell for such an obvious ploy." Lee sulked close by, his elbows on his knees. "We all knew the battle was far too easy."

"Yeah well, chalk one up to experience," Iruka chimed as he stretched out on the ground and tried in vain to fall asleep. "Guess next time we'll know better."

"But Iruka, how-"

"The young are not born knowing everything, Lee." Gai spoke up in the tone he affected when he thought he was saying something profound. "A wise shinobi sees a failure as a chance to learn. It is through failures that we learn and are able to grow as shinobi."

"Yes, Gai-sensei." Lee replied, as if the gospel had just been sung. Shikamaru quirked a sardonic grin, his eyes closed as he sprawl on the ground.

"Just don't be stupid enough to make the same mistake twice." He piped. "Or then you end up like Naruto." The blonde shinobi growled and threw the medicine jar's lid at his companion, who yelped when it struck his ear.

And as they had done when they were genin, the Rookie Nine adopted wry humor and playful teasing to alleviate the stress of their world. During quiet moments when the events of the day were in danger of suffocating them it was predictable that at least one of them would start in on another; before long dragging the entire group in and temporarily forgetting the trials of a difficult day.

"Alright kids," Kakashi's laid back voice carried a hint of amusement, "time to hit the sack. We've got our watch dogs out so get some rest." Neji and Tenten had volunteered for first watch and though they had been teased about going off into the woods together for something scandalous both had headed out in opposite directions.

The team settled in as comfortably around the fire as possible, yet Kakashi stood.

"Naruto," he said simply and walked off into the woods; knowing the teen would understand that he was to follow.

"What is it?" Naruto scuffed a hand through his hair and trailed his mentor until the fire was a glimmer in the distance. Kakashi seated himself on a branch of a nearby tree and Naruto followed, settling in against the trunk.

"I thought you might like to talk." The silver haired jounin said in his matter-of-fact way.

"'Bout what?"

"About Sasuke," his mentor replied just as mildly, "and anything else you might have on your mind." The team leader bristled somewhat.

"I've got nothing to say about Sasuke." He said. Kakashi's eyebrow arched; the only indication Naruto ever got - other than crinkled eyes - that the man could express emotion under that mask.

"You don't have any feelings about what's happened with him?"

"Look," Naruto huffed, "if you're trying to get me to say that I'm sad about this, or that I'm pissed or whatever, just say so."

"That's pretty much it." Kakashi replied.

"Fine, I'm pissed!" Naruto's hands flailed out dramatically. "I'm pissed and I don't get it and the only thing I know about Sasuke anymore is that someone's gotta stop him or he'll do it again! Are you happy?"

"What else is on your mind?" Kakashi asked and Naruto growled.

"What? What's your deal? Really? I mean, what are you, my shrink?"

"I was thinking more like your friend." Naruto stilled. "Friends listen to each other," Kakashi explained. "Friends try to help when they see that someone they care about is in pain."

"I'm not in pain."

"No?"

"Hell no!"

"Then tell me about Hinata." Naruto jolted. "Tell me what's going on with her."

"Why?" The blonde was quieter now, and it was clear his old sensei had struck his mark.

"Because somewhere in the angry teen before me is my old Naruto, and if it's all the same to you I'd like him back." It was quiet again. Naruto took a deep breath, which Kakashi knew meant the teen was not going to blow this off.

"Hinata..."

"...yes?"

"She's special." Naruto shrugged. "She's not loud or rude or stuck up. She's different from all that; like she's above it or something."

"That sounds like a pretty nice girl to me."

"Yeah, but she gets hurt easy, too. Not physically, but inside. She's strong, and she's got spunk, but when she hurts..." Her tears and those terrible sobs echoed in his memory and Naruto shut his eyes, trying to block it out.

"And is she hurt now?"

"Yeah." The teen slumped in his spot. "And I don't know what to do about it."

"What about this?"

"Huh?"

"This. Talk." Kakashi suggested. "Why don't you let her talk to you and get it out? You don't have to say a thing as long as she knows what is bothering her. Just be there to listen."

"Will it work?"

"Are you feeling better?" Naruto tilted his head thoughtfully.

"I don't know." He said. "Maybe. Kinda, I guess. I'm still upset... but I don't think I'm as mad."

"Sounds like progress." Naruto shrugged.

"I guess."

"Listen, Naruto," Kakashi leaned in seriously, "things happen in life, good and bad; you can't help that. But you can't let the negative experiences change you for the worse. People used to tease you; call you loud and hyper and obnoxious, and you were fine with that. You didn't let those people change you. This may not seem like it, but it's the same thing. Something is trying to change you now; make you less than who you are. You've never been one to give up on yourself. Don't start now." Naruto watched Kakashi with wide eyes for a moment.

"Where did you get all that?" He asked a little awed. Kakashi's eye crinkled up into a smile.

"Well, there's this great part in Icha-" Kakashi began to say quite happily, reaching into the pocket where he kept his precious book when Naruto made a sour face and stuck a hand out in front of himself, warding the Copy Ninja away.

"Oh, geeze, Kakashi-" he stammered and the white-haired man smiled though his mask again.

"Just kidding." Naruto shook his head, though he couldn't hide the little grin.

"You're a pervert, you know that?" He said and leapt to the ground below, leaving a very satisfied jounin to silently congratulate himself on a job well done. 

XXXX

Hinata pulled the bandages from her fingers gingerly. The skin beneath was still quite red and tender, but did not look too bad; at least not as bad as she had thought it would. As the wrappings unraveled she found that her arms and shoulders were in similar condition; red but no serious scarring.

_Thanks, Kiba._ She thought with a sad smile, hoping that somewhere he could hear her. She took the fresh role of cloth bandages and began wrapping her arms, hands and fingers, making certain each finger was separate and able to function. She flexed her fingers, rolling the digits independently and testing the range of movement the fabric allowed her.

_Good enough,_ she thought after a few adjustments. She climbed out of bed, finding her strength had greatly improved since yesterday and the day before. Pulling her clothes out of the cabinet against the wall, Hinata changed out of her hospital gown and into the outfit Ino had brought her before leaving.

_I know you're probably right, Kurenai,_ Hyuuga thought remorsefully, _but I can't just sit here and wait while they are out there risking their lives. I have to go._

Though there was no telling if she would even be able to track the team of elite ninjas, let alone catch up, Hinata had resolved herself to trying. Even if she couldn't fight, she had to go; if only to make certain that they were safe. Sitting there in that bed for so long was driving her insane and there was no way she could take it for one more day. So, she took a page out of Naruto's book and decided to escape the hospital, though she was not quite so brazen about it.

Her window opened soundlessly, a pleasant breeze wafting into the room. Her room was only on the second floor and so she didn't bother with any curtains or linked-up sheets to climb down.

_Time to test my legs,_ she thought a bit nervously and jumped to the ground below, only needing to brace herself with one hand upon landing. The skin on her palm stung terribly, but her legs were fine.

With a nervous backward glance Hinata sprinted off into the village and then the forest beyond. She would start her search on the practice fields where she and her team had been ambushed, knowing that Naruto would have started there as well.

It was only hours later, when Kurenai entered the room to visit her friend, that it was discovered: Hyuuga Hinata had escaped from the hospital, and the red eyed woman cursed the name of the girl's love furiously for his influence on the sweet natured kunoichi. 

XXXX

Jiraiya squatted on the ground, examining something curious before him.

"It looks like it was a kunai," he said, testing the melted lump gingerly with his fingers before determining it was safe to pick up and show the group, "from the look of the metal and it's temperature I say it was destroyed around nightfall, though don't ask me how."

"It was his," Naruto was adamant, "it has to be." He felt edgy uneasy. Something was very wrong.

"I don't think any of us doubt that for a minute," Gai rumbled, "though I admit that I don't like this one bit. He's leaving a trail for us."

"So it would seem," Kakashi leaned against a tree indolently, "but do we really have any choice but to follow?"

"This is getting way out of hand, you guys." Shikamaru moaned. "I had no idea we were going to have to travel halfway around the Fire Country to find him."

"What did you think was going to happen?" Ino asked. "Did you think we were going to take ten steps into the woods and - _BLAM_ - there he'd be?"

"Quiet." Kakashi's voice was unusually commanding. "Naruto, what is it?"

Naruto had frozen in his place, his eyes apparently staring straight through Jiraiya. He could feel it; though he had no idea how or why. The Sharingan was there, drilling into the back of his head, it seemed; watching them. It wasn't like before, with the substitution; this was real and very, very dangerous.

"Naruto?" Kakashi seemed to understand; his voice was low nearly a whisper. The others had tensed and were watching him, nervous eyes flicking to the trees surrounding them.

"My five o'clock," The blonde whispered, not daring to move.

_This isn't even like that day on patrol,_ he shuddered. _What IS this?_

Sakura leaned forward slightly, trying not to attract attention. "How do you-"

A rush in his veins.

_"SCATTER!"_ And Naruto threw himself aside, multiple fireballs splashing into the center of the group. His friends had obeyed and were skidding to a halt in multiple locations.

_That chakra-_

There was a rustling sound just where Naruto had said and Sasuke appeared looking ragged, haunted; his steps lurching as though he were fighting his legs for control.

"Naruto..." it was Sasuke's own voice, something none of them had heard in years, "please..."

_What's happened to you, Sasuke?_

Sasuke's eyes were yellow. Naruto knew the Sharingan was on him, but Sasuke's eyes were yellow, like a snake's.

"Please..." Sasuke's voice croaked, that strange sing-song tone blending in, becoming louder, grating down Naruto's spine like fingernails as the Uchiha staggered closer and closer. "...kill me." 

XXXX

**A/N**

Chapter 4 complete. So.... Whaddya think? I thought it was time for a spice-up. I don't know if it's true, but it seems like I'm getting the hang of this writing thing. :) Anyway: Comments. Suggestions. Praise. (The web's equivalent to throwing rotting vegetables!) Anything you guys want to throw at me (no pun intended) please do. I want to hear it.

Don't know what I'm gonna do in the next chapter, but I know I'm going to try and top this one. (I think this is my best chapter yet!) Thanks!


	5. Down To The Bitter End

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor do I make any money off of this story. (Sadly)

Chapter Five: Down to the Bitter End

It was unreal, like something out of a nightmare. Like something out of a _madman's_ nightmare.

_Kill him?! Shit, he's the walking dead already!_ Shikamaru took an involuntary step back. He had never seen any human being look so.... horrific. He had heard whispers among their former superiors; hints that Naruto had once reached some terrifying state from the Kyuubi, but he couldn't imagine it coming close to what lurched slowly out of the brush towards them now.

The raven haired defector seemed to be struggling with his own hands, fingers flying in hand signals, plastered to either side of his body to prevent them from calling forth a justu. "...please..." Shikamaru shivered at their former friend's voice.

Sakura sobbed.

_Sasuke..._

She had hoped before all of this that someday, when he had found his peace, he would return and they could finally be together. The memory of his lips against hers had haunted her through the years. And though it had been she who had kissed him, and though it had not stopped him from leaving Konoha, there had been something in those dark eyes looking down upon her that had given her hope. He had not recoiled; not lashed out, not even mocked her. When the kiss had ended of its own accord Sasuke had simply stepped back, touched her cheek tenderly, and then disappeared into the night.

Then, after the attack, she had done a damn good job convincing herself that she hated him now and that he deserved to die for his crimes. But seeing him standing before her now, pale lines of grief tracing down his cheeks, she couldn't hide beneath her lie.

Damn her soul to everlasting hell; but she loved Uchiha Sasuke still.

Sasuke's hands slowly came around in front of him, arms quaking with effort.

"...before I lose control..." Sasuke's true voice was all but gone beneath Orochimaru's, "...before I hurt another... Kami, Naruto..._don't let me kill again!!!_"

Naruto growled viciously, tears welling in his eyes.

"Rasengan!" A ball of swirling energy blasted from the blonde's fingers, yet in a streak of black Sasuke dodged.

"Hyuuga!" Naruto's call snapped the group back to reality and Neji, who was now the closest to their quarry, leapt into action. A thunderous clap came from behind and Naruto knew that Lee had just shed his weights. Iruka was alongside the Hyuuga, rushing Sasuke and releasing an onslaught of blows. A second later Iruka recoiled.

"What the-" Sasuke's face now peered out at them from beneath the bark of the closest tree, yellow eyes and white teeth glinting maliciously.

"Can't hit him yet," Anko growled knowingly, as Sasuke's face slowly disappeared further into the tree, "he's out!" Yet the space surrounding the tree was suspiciously empty.

"Shikumi no Jutsu." A whisper from behind the group and Jiraiya froze in his tracks; his eyes wide.

"Shit!" Kakashi yanked up his hitai-ate and rushed for the sennin, the Sharingan whirling, watching for the ambush he knew awaited. Yet Jiraiya wasn't frozen with fear at the image of his own grizzly end.

He was smiling a cruel, hateful expression.

"I said it once and I'll say it again," he growled, turning slowly, "I'm not afraid of death!" The great man swung a massive leg around, yet his target had been prepared and Jiraiya was launched backward, nearly colliding with Kakashi, who spun elegantly out of the way.

"It's nice to know you'll be so cooperative, then." Sasuke was gone - Orochimaru's voice was all that was left. Jiraiya grunted as he rose.

"I never said I'd go easy." He corrected. Orochimaru tilted a head innocuously.

"Oh, I think you will." He replied. Gai and Lee rushed him.

"Sen'eijashu."

"LEE!" Gai smashed a shoulder into his pupil throwing Lee out of range and then howled as snakes wrapped around his body, sinking in fangs and tightening their coils.

"No Gai!" Sakura was closest, a kunai spinning up into her fingers and she slashed her way in. One beast raised bloodied fangs, ready to turn on her. A shuriken decapitated it, Tenten's aim impeccable as she raced in, passed Gai and straight for Orochimaru with Ino and Iruka on her heels.

Neji was beside Sakura; strong hands severing reptilian bodies without the need for a blade, and he extracted his former teacher from their grasp. Gai was a mess of blood and venom, his eyes rolling back into his head.

"Sensei!" Neji had not called the man that in years and yet the word poured from his lips as though by reflex. Lee threw himself down beside his mentor.

"Sensei," his voice rose pitifully, "sensei, look at me!" He was vaguely aware of Shikamaru and Naruto leaping over their heads as they attacked, pushing Orochimaru away from the injured man. "Sensei!"

"What..." Gai's body shook violently as the venom took its hold, "...what are you two doing? Go. Go... I'll be... fine." Lee felt Neji's grip on his arm, pulling him up. When Lee turned he saw that it was not only the Byakugan that gave the man a deadly glare.

Neji was ready to kill.

"Come on," he hissed and turned, rushing after Kakashi, who was moving behind Orochimaru to ensure the villain could not escape into another object. Lee stood for a moment, fists balled, teeth barred as he stared down at his teacher.

"Hachimon," Naruto heard the familiar shriek from behind him, "first gate! Kai!" And Lee was there, atop Orochimaru, striking at him at speeds that had the yellow eyes widened with surprise, though the bastard was still smiling.

"Second gate!" Lee pushed onward rapidly. "Kai!" Naruto wondered if Lee intended to open all eight gates this day. He knew that it was probably in the tai jutsu master's power, even if he had never gotten passed the sixth gate before.

"Don't you dare, Lee!" He screamed and summoned a Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, yet it was not there to attack.

"Odama Rasengan!" Naruto's friends ceased their attacks and scattered as the ball of frenzied energy tore a path in the soil. And still Orochimaru smiled. An explosion, a cloud of dust and debris, and when it cleared Sasuke's body was standing a few hundred feet away from the blast zone; untouched.

"Fuck!" Naruto had never seen that attack dodged before. He needed more.

_Gotta burn through it all. Burn through mine..._ Another clone.

"Odama Rasengan!" The dust cleared and he was beside them. Playing with them. Neji moved in.

"Hakke Hyaku Nijuhachi-" Sasuke's arms wrapped around Neji at impossible angles, restricting his arms and covering his mouth before the Hyuuga could seal off his enemy's chakra points.

"No, no, no..." Orochimaru chided softly, "that won't do."

"Third gate! Kai!" Lee burst back into view, red faced, fists pummeling, beating the limbs that trapped his friend. Neji rolled free and was on his feet again, lips bloodied from being mashed against his teeth.

"Raikiri!" Kakashi's arm hung awkwardly before him, blue light arcing from his hand.

"If you insist," Orochimaru smiled. "Raikiri!" Sasuke's arm mimicked Kakashi's, the noise intensified around them. Kakashi startled.

"I never taught him that level." He stared and Sasuke's mouth still twisted in a gruesome smile.

"He watched and learned. The Sharingan was very useful for that. Though I am sure you already knew that, didn't you, Sharingan Kakashi?" The white-haired shinobi rushed in, his arm raised high intent on bringing the crackling light down upon his protégé's body. Sasuke's laden hand rose, meeting Kakashi's and both men where hurtled backwards, deflected. Orochimaru laughed.

"Oh, that was entertaining!"

"Soshoryu!" Tenten's smoke cloud cleared, her dragons circled and the young woman began to hurl projectiles at Orochimaru with a speed and accuracy many jounin could only wish for. Yet Orochimaru was not impressed and his smile turned to a revolted scowl.

"Do not insult me, girl." He hissed and the snakes returned, speeding at her around her attack. The woman checked her aim, taking out one snake, two; she knew there was no hope of killing them all before they struck.

"Tenten!" Neji had not once expressed fear in all of the years his friends had known him, and yet now his voice rose with trepidation.

A roar from behind and the reptiles crashed through the trees beside the girl, scaled bodies tearing apart as Lee ripped them from Orochimaru's control. Tenten tried not to tremble, a glance at Gai's still form reminding her of what almost happened.

"Alright, I believe we'll stop here for the day," Sasuke's mouth effected the strange smile again. "While I've enjoyed the games we've played and Sasuke has undoubtedly enjoyed the show," Orochimaru stepped back from his circle of foes, "I'm afraid I must draw our time together to a close." Jiraiya bristled instinctively.

"Futon Daitoppa!" 

XXXX

A deafening roar and the ground trembled beneath Hinata's feet. Her panting stilled, and she stopped in her tracks; listening, waiting.

"What was _that_?" She whispered to herself. Beyond the treetops in the distance a whirling mass of air rose from the forest. That was no act of nature.

_It's them!_ her mind cried out, _they're in danger!_

Her legs no longer trembled with fatigue, her lungs no longer burned and Hinata now knew without question that she could - and would - fight for her friends' lives.

The Byakugan marred her lovely features and she starred further into the trees. The battle was beyond the range of her kekkei genkai but it was not that far away. She could be there in under a half of an hour if she hurried!

She let the Byakugan fade, rationing her strength for what was to come. Then Hyuuga Hinata leapt into the treetops and towards the people she cared for most in the world.

_Wait for me, Naruto,_ she pleaded, _please wait for me..._

XXXX

Rage.

Naruto lifted his head and saw Sakura sprawled upon the ground. She was moving; breathing, but she was also badly injured.

Kakashi was dragging himself to his feet, drawing a thumb down the side of his bloodied face, a scroll in his other hand.

Hate.

Neji was pulling Tenten into his lap; she was conscious, whispering something that made him squeeze his eyes shut and shake his head.

Shikamaru knelt beside Ino, her mangled hands clutching at his arms as she struggled to remain upright.

Hurt!

The growl started low in his chest and Naruto stood. Kakashi's eyes widened when they fell upon his former pupil.

"Naruto..." he breathed, knowing full well there was no way he could stop what was about to happen, "...no..."

Naruto's growl became a shrieking roar.

_KILL!!!_

Power exploded from his body, red and raw, deep wounds healing and muscles popping and contorting as Naruto bellowed his fury. One, then two and then three transparent tails snapping into existence behind his back, melded with the energy that circled his body; whiskers spreading, adding feral traits to the handsome face. The scream tearing from his throat was joined by a terrifying ethereal rumble.

Jiraiya moaned from his position against a tree and dropped his summoning scroll to his side. There was no time to summon; not anymore. He closed his eyes, waiting for the fourth tail and - quite possibly - their deaths.

_No._ Yet Naruto refused to give the kyuubi his will though the beast promised him vengeance and blood. _I kill him, not you!_ The demon rumbled its protest and Naruto screamed.

_"I do it!!"_ The kyuubi consented after a moment, knowing that he need not worry - they would bring death without his control and he would know the sweet warmth of blood-slicked claws and a dead heart in his grip once more.

Naruto's red eyes slid dangerously over his friends, each exhalation a throaty rumble, his clawed fingers and jagged teeth stopping the breath of anyone who caught his gaze.

"Which way?" His voice was no longer his own and Ino raised broken fingers to her mouth, stifling her cry. It was Lee, hovering over the lifeless body of his mentor, who finally pointed.

"He went in that direction," Lee had never sounded so defeated; not even when he had been told he'd never fight again. He held Gai's head on his lap, the man's eyes were open but vacant and lifeless.

The stench of death also rose somewhere over by Iruka, the fox noticed, but Naruto's current condition prevented him from caring. All that mattered was his victim's bloody demise.

"Be careful Naruto." Neji whispered. "Come back to us."

Naruto crashed through the forest, leaving decimated trees, torn earth and the echo of his unearthly howl in his wake.

Shikamaru quivered on his knees. He had thought nothing could frighten him more than Sasuke's face when he had first come out of the trees... but Naruto. His friend's eyes... that chakra... Naruto had just become the harbinger of death! Shikamaru had not had the slightest idea what terror was when he had laid eyes upon Sasuke. He silently thanked Lee for sending Naruto away... for making that terrible presence disappear.

Kakashi remembered himself, remembered what he had been doing, and his hands trembled when he began to unfurl the scroll that would call upon the ninken.

"He'll kill them, Kakashi," Jiraiya's sad eyes rested on his pupil's pupil. "He'll wipe them out the second they get in his way. I think that right now he could take out Gamabunta if I called for him." Kakashi slipped back to the ground, his head in his hands, his face buried beneath mask and fingers.

"What..." Iruka called from his place beside Anko's unmoving form, her neck bent at an impossible angle, "...what can we do?" His voice rose in worried pitch and Kakashi's body shook, almost as if he were crying. "There has to be some way we can help him!" Iruka became desperate, Kakashi's reaction adding fuel to his panic. "Isn't there something, Jiraiya?"

"Nothing," he whispered. "Not a damn thing." 

XXXX

**A/N**

Chapter 5 complete!

Okay, I admit, I had fun writing this one. I've had fun writing them all, true, but THIS ONE, got my blood pumping. I never knew writing fanfic could be such an adrenaline rush! I should have started doing this a long time ago! I hope you guys got the same feeling reading it that I got writing it.

Comments, suggestions, requests, complaints, praise and reports on the weather at your place are all encouraged. I want feedback. Maybe I can put your suggestions towards my next story! Thanks!


	6. Salvation

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, I don't make any money from these stories and Kakashi is not waiting for me in my room tonight. (*Sigh* I have no luck these days...)

Chapter Six: Salvation

Blood.

Though her sense of smell had never been one of her strengths, Hinata could pick up the scent of blood before the clearing loomed into view. The Byakugan revealed to her that the clearing was just ahead, people scattered along the ground; not fighting, many not even moving.

It was over.

She was too late. She bound forward without pause, knowing that some among the team still lived.

One of them stood, white hair and dark clothes. Kakashi. He drew a kunai and faced her direction. His hitai-ate covered his Sharingan, so she knew he could not yet see her, but he had obviously heard her coming. He raised his weapon.

"It's me!" She cried out, "Hinata!" The weapon hand lowered and seconds later she was landing neatly onto the ground before him.

"Hinata..." Kakashi sighed as though all of the troubles of the world now rested upon him. "You shouldn't be here. You should never have left the hospital, let alone Konoha." She heard none of his words, her eyes scanning the clearing, checking each face.

Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Neji, one by one she ticked off her friends' status in her head. Yet some were missing, and her fist pressed to her abdomen.

_Naruto. Where is Naruto?_

Two people lay on the ground side by side, hands crossed carefully over chests, their faces covered with scraps of cloth: a man and a woman. Though she could not tell who the woman was, the outfit of the man was a telltale.

Maito Gai. It stunned her, and for a moment her beloved was not first in her thoughts. She gazed at the body and found it hard to believe that such a vibrant man was gone.

"Gai..." she breathed, "oh no. Oh... Gai. And a kunoichi, too? Who is she?"

"Mitarashi Anko," Kakashi said. The instructor from the chuunin exams, Hinata remembered, though she could not remember interacting with the jounin much since then.

"Naruto," she peered up at the tall jounin, trying to find an answer in the parts of the face she could see. "Where is he?" Kakashi's single eye closed and he turned away. Hinata stifled a groan.

"He went after Orochimaru." Jiraiya spoke up from the ground as he helped Sakura remain upright; her eyes seemed to have trouble focusing. Hinata gasped.

"Alone?" She looked to each team member, hoping someone would deny it. None did, though Ino's eyes flicked to a path that had been torn through the forest. "He went alone? How could you let him go?" Hinata ran for the path, confident that was where he had gone. Strong fingers gripped her arms.

"You can't go after him," Kakashi said in a voice that had been drained of hope, "he'll kill you." Hinata's brow creased in angry confusion and she shrugged from Kakashi's armored hands, ignoring the sting his fingers left on tender skin.

"What!"

"He's the kyuubi, Hinata," Neji said, arms wrapped protectively around Tenten, "not our Naruto. Not right now. If you follow him and he sees you as a threat or even an inconvenience, you won't leave this forest alive."

_No,_ The thought of Naruto hurting her was obscene.

Those eyes; the color of a cloudless midday sky. That boisterous bravado he held fast to. Hair that smell of ramen and grass and summer breezes. Those soft lips that could make her melt just by remembering them. The arms that had held her so gently that day in the hospital. He had almost seemed timid. And that smile.

That smile.

That was her Naruto. The kyuubi could never change that. The beast could not make Naruto hurt her.

_Not my Naruto, _she thought with a small smile. _Never._

"Hinata?" Neji's voice barely registered in her head.

_Naruto._

XXXX 

Closer. Closer. Soon.

He could smell him; smell the stink of old sweat and ozone and death. It was stronger now.

Closer.

Here.

Naruto snarled, red eyes darting over his surroundings, razor claws tearing at the earth as he pushed himself forward; searching.

"You came." The voice called from the shadows. "He knew that you would."

Naruto's throat reverberated with the sounds of the kyuubi's bloodlust.

"No insults?" Orochimaru stepped into Naruto's sight, "no threats? It seems you are not as predictable as he thinks."

Sasuke's mouth opened and the snake materialized again, yet it did not attack. The thing opened its mouth wide; the blade of the sword that Naruto had once heard could cut through anything emerged within its gullet.

"I suppose this means that things will be over quickly." Orochimaru spoke around the snake that wielded the blade, its movements like liquid. The tip of the sword angled towards Naruto and the thing that had once been his friend pulled its lips back in a snarl. "How fortunate for me."

Naruto didn't hesitate. Nothing could stop him from his kill.

The blade hurtled forth, shining metal extending impossibly.

And Naruto was gone.

Sasuke's head spun, yellow eyes searching, lips curled around the reptilian torso. A flick of its head and the snake passed the sword into its master's waiting hand; and then disappeared from whence it came. Orochimaru gazed at the world through the teen's Sharingan. The beast's growled panting coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once, making it impossible to locate him.

Then nothing. Orochimaru tensed.

Fire! Pain lanced through the flesh of his back and a blood-curdling shriek from behind told him that his antagonist was no coward. Somewhere deep inside his former body, Sasuke nearly wept with relief.

_Do it, Naruto..._

The beast within exalted, that familiar coppery smell in his nostrils. and the hunger drove him to push his host further.

_Scream!_

The blonde was before Orochimaru once more, blood stained fingers attesting to his speed. The beast opened its mouth yet no words came, only the sound of exhilaration at the thrill of the kill.

_Blood!_

The yellow eyed monster smiled at the sound.

_Pain!!_

Orochimaru knew that feeling well.

_KILL!!!_

And he had also known of Naruto's circumstances.

"Did you truly believe that I would not be prepared for such a situation?" His voice was sickening, high-pitched and vulgar in its malice. "Did you think I did not realize you would call upon that power within you at some point? Foolish child, I am the greatest of the Densetsu no Sennin. Certainly even you should have grasped what that means. "

Trapped within his own mind, Sasuke screamed in desperation, and Orochimaru savored the boy's torment.

The ground at his feet rumbled and cracked. The splits in the earth widened, chunks of clay and rock spilling out as something moved beneath it all. A flash of gold in the sunlight; a golden box. Characters were etched across the front of the box gracefully. No... not a box at all.

A coffin. And those characters...

_Yondaime_

"He stopped you once before," Orochimaru smiled, "I believe it is safe to say that he can do it again."

Naruto's breath came in short, hateful rasps, the beast's coaxing stilled for a moment.

_The kyuubi remembered..._

The box opened; sand and dirt pouring up and in, surrounding the body. When all had settled the still figure of the man within opened his eyes. Blue eyes. Blonde hair. Features so, so familiar.

_That face used to smile at me, didn't it?_

The kyuubi rumbled that none of this mattered; there was blood to be spilled. Yet Naruto held firm to his control.

Somewhere deep inside, though he didn't know how or when, Naruto recognized that face. Sasuke's mouth split into a triumphant sneer.

"Daddy says you've been very naughty, young man." He sneered. "It's time to take your punishment."

XXXX

She sat before Sakura, examining the kunoichi's old head wound carefully. That last attack had compounded it and now Sakura was in trouble.

"You have to stay awake, Sakura," Hinata said, carefully cover her friend's wound with the wrappings she had taken from the hospital, "sleep is dangerous with head injuries, I know that much."

"I know," Sakura mumbled drowsily, "but it's hard." Hinata and Jiraiya lifted the woman to her feet so that she could not become too comfortable.

"Someone has to get her back to the village," the sennin said, "and have a team sent back here to help with the bodies." Lee's face screwed up.

"He is not a body!" The tai-jutsu master argued. Jiraiya ignored the young man's outburst, wishing not to upset him any further.

"Iruka, you didn't fare that badly. You can take her back."

"The hell I will! I am not leaving Naruto out here alone!" Iruka stubbornly pointed a finger at the elder.

"No, you're not. We'll still be here. We won't abandon him." Jiraiya explained. "Tenten needs medical attention as well. Neji can take her. You four can travel together; it will be safer."

"No," Shikamaru closed the distance between he and Jiraiya, speaking low to avoid being overheard, "Neji needs to stay here with Lee. Right now I think Neji is the closest thing to family Lee has. I'll take Tenten."

Neji, still seated close by with Tenten had overheard, however. A silent look at the woman in his lap and she nodded her acceptance. Shikamaru gather her up carefully, settling her onto his back. A demanding glare at Iruka from the lazy-nin and the reluctant jounin gathered up Sakura, nodding at Hinata's reminder to not let the woman fall asleep, no matter what.

"You don't leave him out here," he said heatedly to the massive man, "you wait for him, got me? You bring him home with you, or else legend or no legend, I'll slit your damned throat."

"He comes home with us, you have my word." Jiraiya vowed, not taking the threat to heart, and watched the men disappear into the forest with their charges. If they took a straight route rather than backtrack over their previous winding path, Jiraiya guessed the men could have their friends back in Konoha before midday tomorrow. Allowing for the appropriate time it would take to find Tsunade and explain their situation, help should arrive in two days' time; no later.

It could be worse. But then there was the matter of the bodies and what to do with them in the mean time.

Hinata stared longingly at the broken path Naruto had taken. She wanted to be there with him, if only to watch, to cheer for him as he had cheered for her so many times. She wanted him to know that he wasn't alone; not even when the beast raged and those he loved shrank back in fear. As long as she drew breath Naruto would never be alone.

"Orochimaru may be powerful," Kakashi's hand rested on her shoulder in a fatherly gesture, "but he's still only mortal; no amount of stolen bodies can change that. As much as it kills me to say it, as long as Naruto stays partially transformed he stands an excellent change of surviving."

Hinata said nothing. The silver-haired jounin knew she was fighting the urge to race down that pathway. He sighed.

"Naruto told me how much he cares for you," he revealed and the kunoichi finally tore her gaze from the path, and raised hopeful eyes to Kakashi. "I know that it kills him when you're hurting. I'm fairly sure that until your time together in the hospital he had not known how strongly his feelings for you were. I believe he loves you deeply, Hinata." A small smile of incredulity lit up her features and Kakashi tried not to think about what he was about to say.

"That's why I think that if you went down that pathway and he hurt you... I don't think he would be able to live with the guilt." The sweet smile melted away and Kakashi felt like shit for saying something so harsh. Hinata swallowed, her head snapping back to the pathway.

That unearthly roar sounded in the distance and the hairs on Kakashi's arms stood up. Ino squeaked out a frightened profanity and Neji turned his kekkei genkai eyes down the path in a futile attempt to see what was happening. But it was Jiraiya who took the first step forward.

"I've never heard him sound like that." He whispered. "He sounds..."

"...hurt." Lee's face was no longer bent over his master. Dark brows furled as his gaze followed everyone else's.

The roar repeated and a thunderous crash vibrated the ground slightly.

A pattering of footsteps and Hinata's back faded into the trees.

"Goddammit!" Kakashi swore violently and before anyone could question the sanity of their actions the group was barreling down the pathway.

_The rescue team's going to find a graveyard when they arrive,_ Jiraiya shook his head in resignation.

It was a good thing he wasn't afraid to die. 

XXXX 

Yondaime vanished in a small white cloud as Naruto's claws sank into the soft dirt a few hundred feet away. Another puff of smoke and the man materialized behind Naruto, Kusanagi gripped in his hands and he slashed at Naruto's back.

The beast howled in wrath and pain.

"It appears that although I am no match for a demon, you are no match for your sire." Orochimaru gloated from the edge of the battlefield. "The man that gave you life and then that incredible power is now going to take both back from you. It seems only fitting, don't you agree?"

Yondaime watched with no emotion as Naruto disappeared and then reappeared a good distance away, snarling viciously, saliva dripping from exposed fangs, the three tails lashing out furiously behind him.

"Are you afraid, boy?" The yellow eyed man goaded. "Are you afraid of your demise? I was thinking of showing it to you, but I believe in your case surprising you would be far more amusing."

Yondaime vanished in his familiar smoke and Naruto moved, sparing himself another slash of the sword - the only thing that could cut through the kyuubi's shield. His father - his _father!_ somewhere deep within, Naruto was reeling at the revelation - was upon him again sword cleaving through air. Naruto raised a clawed foot and spun, driving the blonde hokage into and then through a nearby tree. But Naruto did not follow.

"Oh, so that's it. You can't do it, can you?" Orochimaru was chuckling now; laughing at him! "You can't bring yourself to kill your own father. Not again. Not after the first time you and the kyuubi killed him - and you did kill him, make no mistake."

Yondaime was on his feet again, pursuing his son, driving the Kusanagi at him again and again while Naruto skimmed away; the blade extending and coming close enough to its mark to shave a few strands of blonde hair away.

"No matter how fearsome you appear, no matter how fast or how strong or how deadly you become, deep down inside you're just a sad little boy who wants his papa."

Naruto roared, Sasuke's imposter infuriated him and without warning the blonde beast turned for Orochimaru. Yondaime followed, blade at the ready. Naruto stopped, clawed fingers raised before his prey's face. And then in a flurry of movements that defied the laws of physics Naruto leapt into the air. Yondaime's blade pitched to the side, narrowly missing Orochimaru's cheek as the black haired man leaned casually to one side, avoiding the cut, and laughed.

"Well that was an amusing maneuver. Where did you learn that, from a child's storybook?"

Naruto was on his feet again, pouncing upon Orochimaru; but Yondaime stepped between the two. Naruto faltered, claws retracted and the dead man drove the sword through his son's shoulder.

Naruto screamed, and drew back, the sword slicing its way out through the side of his shoulder as he retreated. Though he still traveled at speeds too fast to track with any eye the blood trail revealed his path. When he finally stopped, his left arm hung limply to the side, though tissues and bone had already begun to rejoin.

A snap in the trees. Naruto's ears perked. Yondaime's expressionless face turned.

Hinata was entering the battle-made clearing, her face flush with worry and when her eyes fell upon the man she loved she gasped.

"You're hurt!" Naruto felt something inside his chest go weird. She hadn't recoiled; hadn't screamed. She was _worried_ for him! Behind her a rustling noise became louder and more of his colleagues came into view.

_"Yondaime!"_ Jiraiya noted the scene before him and was outraged at the sight of his long-ago pupil. The bloodstained sword in the blonde's hands was unmistakable, and explained the multitude of healing wounds covering Naruto's body.

He turned hateful eyes on his former teammate. "You bastard! You'll regret disturbing his rest! And then you'll die for turning him against the boy!!" But the yellow eyed man leaned his head back, peering down his nose at the recent arrivals.

"Really, now," was his only comment, which suited Kakashi just fine. He wasn't in the mood for longwinded shit from a soulless pit. Lee stepped around Kakashi, his eyes boring into Orochimaru hotly, but the Copy-nin held out a restraining arm.

"You go after him and you run the risk of getting killed by him, a dead hokage or a demon."

"I will take my chances." Lee growled and Kakashi's fist turned over, gripping Lee's shirt tightly, pinching the skin beneath.

"So that's how you'll thank Gai for his sacrifice?" He demanded. "By throwing it away the first chance you get? Where's your respect for your sensei's honorable act?" Lee hesitated and then relented.

"Wise move," Orochimaru said, "but a wiser one would have been to avoid this place all together. Now you run the risk of becoming an interference, and I can't have that."

The point of the blade sung through the air and Yondaime turned sharply; he had new quarry to deal with at the moment. He moved.

_"GO!!"_ Jiraiya ordered the team.

But before a single step could be taken by any of them Naruto was between his friends and his father, taking the blow that had been meant for a teammate. Bloodied steel pushed through his stomach and out through his back. Hinata screamed his name.

The young jounin roared in pain and fury and grief -

And smashed a clawed hand across his father's face.

Yondaime flipped backward, avoiding Naruto's follow-up blow, but his son was there again, toenails like steel daggers slicing into his father's side and sending him soaring into the air before colliding sickeningly with the ground. Sand, not blood, poured from the open wounds on his father's face and Naruto was there again, atop his father's body, pounding him onto his back and tearing at him with a fury that could rival the beast within, the kyuubi's shield blistering and burning the flesh Naruto assaulted without mercy.

The sword hand raised, but Naruto's jaws clamped firmly onto the wrist, sand dribbling down his chin when fanged teeth pierced skin, and with a jerk of his head the hand was ripped from the arm. Naruto reached up and pulled the sword free of Yondaime's disembodied grip, feeling the strong tug as Orochimaru tried to call the blade back.

But Naruto was stronger.

Tears ran rivulets down his face and Naruto called forth the blazing power of the kyuubi, scorching the flesh and bone beneath him into nothingness. With the demon's voice he sobbed loudly.

_He knows..._ Naruto's cry had reached Jiraiya's ears and the sennin was at a loss. _Oh, Kami... Naruto knows who that is and he still fights!_

"That's not him, Naruto!" He screamed, trying to give the boy some comfort. "It's only a shadow!"

The skin under his hands blackened, blue eyes open, unflinching, staring into Naruto's the entire time. Blonde hair flew wildly in the heat before turning to dust and ash. That mouth that Naruto remembered smiling at him in the distant past was still set in a line of dispassionate wrongness.

_It's not him._

Naruto sobbed again, louder and more like himself.

_It's not him!_

"My father..." Naruto's voice strangled out through the kyuubi's and the body beneath him dissolved into a cloud of ash and smoke, floating away on the breeze. Naruto trembled on his knees, the sword still clutched in his hand, crying forcefully. Kakashi turned an anguished eye away, but the cries still invaded his senses. He didn't think he could take it; watching as Naruto's soul died within him. He didn't-

But before anyone could wonder if Uzumaki Naruto would ever rise from that place again he was flinging out his arm, a cry of hate and love and loss in his throat and a shaft of light flung from his hand.

Kusanagi lodged in Sasuke's chest and Orochimaru's yellow eyes widened in shock, the look of bemusement gone. Naruto was upon him before he could cry out; fingers wrapped on the hilt, his face so close that hot breath fanned Sasuke's black hair back with every exhalation.

"For them..." Naruto whispered to a face where yellow eyes filled with fear and blood dripped from pale lips, "...and for us..." Naruto twisted the blade roughly and Orochimaru grunted, the red flow from his mouth increasing, "...and for Sasuke!" Naruto pulled his arm out to the side, wrenching the blade through bone and muscle, and the torso before him severed almost entirely in two.

And before Sasuke's body fell to the ground those yellow eyes turned black and Naruto thought he could see the ghost of his friend, smiling in those eyes.

Then it was over. Sasuke lay on the ground in a ruined heap, his heartbeat no more in Naruto's ears. 

XXXX

He stood there, for what seemed to be an eternity, over the body of his rival-turned-friend-turned-enemy. Hinata watched his back, covered in blood and dirt and ash. But the tails did not disappear and the aura did not fade.

He was still the beast.

But she was not afraid.

She stepped forward and none around her stopped her, though in truth none around her had noticed. It wasn't until she was halfway to him that Neji's voice called out to her, but she didn't stop. She walked slowly approaching him, her feet hissing in the grass; she made certain he could hear her. She placed a hand on his arm, whole again, though the clothes that covered it had been shredded to rags.

Naruto startled and whirled, his hand catching her wrist in a grip so strong she should have cried out, as she heard Ino and Neji cry out behind her.

But she didn't.

"It's alright, Naruto," she said softly, looking up into those red eyes so full of pain, "it's alright." His fierce expression softened and the tails behind him stilled.

"H-Hinata?" It was mostly his voice again, though the rumble was still present. The grip on her wrist loosened.

"I couldn't just sit there and wait," she whispered tenderly, a barely-there smile on her lips. "I had to know that you were safe. I had to come."

"You came?" He was confused, but the red glow was leaving his eyes. And then he noticed it. His hand, on her wrist: the aura wasn't burning her.

_How is the aura not burning her?_

"I came for you, Naruto." She said. "I came because I love you." He exhaled a deep ragged breath. The tails fizzled out of existence and the red glow left his body, returning the blue to his eyes and the beauty to his features.

"You... weren't afraid... just then?" He asked, raw eyes searching hers, needing something only she could give him at that moment. "You weren't afraid of me... of the kyuubi?" She shook her head, the smile showing itself a little more.

"I knew that you would never hurt me," she confessed, "I knew it in my soul. My Naruto, he loves me too much."

Naruto's lips quivered and she reached up, wrapping bandaged arms around his neck. His body stiffened and then he was returning the embrace, his face buried in her hair. She did not hear the footsteps behind her, only the ragged breath of the man she loved as he tried with every fiber of his being to not cry.

And when a shadow crossed over them, and Kakashi placed a tender hand upon his pupil's back, Naruto set loose his tears and his sobs, grateful for the fact that he was not alone. 

XXXX 

Epilogue

The last of the funerals were over; Gai and Anko receiving a hero's service, having participated in the mission that had brought an end to Orochimaru's threat. Kiba and Shino had been buried earlier that week, while the team had been away. Though none of their friends had been able to attend the actual services, the group had gathered later at the graves to pay homage to the men who had touched their lives.

It had been a somber first few days after the return to Konoha. They had not spoken to many outside their circle and not gone out into any shops or restaurants. And since the hokage had told them that none of them would have to report to the mission boards for some time, they really saw no reason to venture from each other's company at all.

Tsunade worried incessantly, fearing that they had been too young, too green, for a mission of such high caliber. But Kakashi had told her again and again; they were young but they were still shinobi. They would heal; they just needed time.

They retreated to the outskirts of the forest a lot, finding the cheerful sounds of Konoha's citizens a bit overwhelming at the moment. And it was there that they would talk, or not talk, whatever the case may be.

Naruto had been sitting in at the base of a tree, twirling a long blade of grass between his teeth, Hinata's head on his lap.

The others, the remains of the Rookie Nine, were not too far away, as had been the case for the passed week. None really wanted to be alone, so when one got the urge to move they usually all followed; even Neji, who had never needed anyone in his life.

"Does anyone have any idea when we should begin reporting for duty again?" Ino asked, breaking the silence. "Tsunade never did give us an actual date." It was quiet for a moment, but she didn't worry. Someone would speak.

"I think whenever we chose," Sakura held tight to the hitai-ate she had been carrying around recently, thumbing the leaf symbol absently. Sasuke's band. Naruto had had the presence of mind to take the band to her when they had returned from the forest.

Sakura had wept so long and so hard that the nurses had been forced to sedate her.

"Itachi is still out there." Naruto said blankly after another long pause. "Sasuke never got his revenge." No reply for a time. Then there was a sigh.

"Shall we champion his cause?" Lee asked, sitting so close to Sakura that their legs touched. Yet he would not try for her affections yet. It was too soon, Sasuke's loss to raw, and he had more respect for the pink haired cherry blossom than that. For now he simply wanted to be there for her; to give her a shoulder to cry on when the memories threatened to suffocate her.

"You seriously thinking of going?" Shikamaru asked, and though he tried, the scornful reluctance was clearly a ruse. He felt the sting of loss just as clearly. Naruto nodded.

"I'm gonna." He said. "But not just yet." He trailed fingers lovingly through the long black strands on his lap, thin white fingers reaching up to entwine with his. "I'm going to take some time and enjoy what I have first." The others nodded their agreement, and Naruto knew they would follow him once more.

The fourth hokage's son, as he was now known by all in Konoha - courtesy of Jiraiya and a couple of overly protective former sensei - had found his peace, though in truth he had never known he had been missing it.

He had always had some distraction to cling to: his goal to be hokage, his rivalry with Sasuke, his love of two kunoichi. And though he would be hokage someday - Tsunade would see to that - and had earned the love of his precious Hinata, it was not those things that gave him peace, though Hinata, and Kakashi, had helped.

He was strong, he realized, but not just physically. Naruto could love and cry and hurt and still be strong enough to do what was needed. He could be counted on by those who cared for and trusted him. He could protect the people he loved. He was a man, worthy of his father's legacy.

He was Uzumaki Naruto, the number-one-hyper-active-knuckled-headed-jounin of Konoha, and nothing could change that. Not the demon he harbored, not his family or lack-there-of, not his reputation; nothing.

He was Uzumaki Naruto, and he was damned grateful to be so. 

XXXX

_Fin_

**A/N**

And that's a wrap, kiddies! My first story, written and complete! Can I just say _**DAMN I FEEL GOOD!!!**_** I feel like dancing, or singing or freakin' breaking something! (yeah, sometimes I can get a bit out of hand...) :) I may decide to come back to this one eventually and pick up on the loop-hole I left for sequels (Itachi's still out there). Or not. We'll see how it goes. :)**

Comments? Questions? Requests for future stories? Bitch at me for actually ending this story? I'll take it all. I can handle it. Bring it on! :) Seriously, what's on your mind?

Thanks for reading this, everyone!

ADDITION: "A Promise To Keep" is the next story in this series, so be sure to keep your eyes open for it – I've got it on paper already and "Promise" blows "Twelve" out of the water!! :o)


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